Pageant, FreeHand Among New BASF Products

BASF recently unveiled two new products for use in greenhouses and ornamentals–one for disease control and the other for weed control–in Pageant and FreeHand.

Pageant fungicide combines boscalid and pyraclostrobin, the active ingredient in Insignia fungicide, to provide control of pythopthora and downy mildew diseases in just minutes. FreeHand herbicide, meanwhile, combines a granular formulation of dimethenamid-P with pendimethalin for time-saving weed control.

“Growers everywhere are seeking competitive advantages, including those that help control input costs and boost profit margins,” says Toni Bucci, business manager at BASF. “FreeHand herbicide gives growers a powerful, cost-effective alternative to manual weeding.”

With limited options for chemical pest control, cannabis growers are incorporating biocontrols into their integrated pest management programs. More education will cement this solution as a viable option in this emerging market.

Herbicides applied off-site or within the greenhouse can significantly damage ornamental and edible crops. Beth Scheckelhoff, an Extension Educator for Greenhouse Systems at The Ohio State University, provides some examples and basic recommendations for mitigating and preventing herbicide contamination and injury in the future.

Altus, a butenolide class insecticide with the active ingredient flupyradifurone, will be available beginning May 1, and is labeled for greenhouse and nursery use on ornamental plants, vegetable transplants, and indoor vegetable production.

AgBiome, a young company with teammates steeped in decades of experience in the crop protection world, sees an opportunity to bring products to market that fill the existing gaps in plant protection. The company has partnered with SePRO to market and distribute Zio, a biological fungicide expecting EPA registration this spring.